Pours dark with a tinge of red around the top. No carbonation (as stated on the bottle). Smells faintly of nuts and cherries, but nothing overpowering at all. Very close to the smell of a good wine. The taste is outstanding - rich cherries with sweetness and some oak lending savory flavors. A friend of mine mistook the oak for chocolate at first. The feel is somewhat thick but not too syrupy as can be a problem with some old ales. Overall, a great, decadent beer. If I get another bottle, I would drink it by a fire during cold weather or with a good steak.

Dark brown pour, almost black. No head or lacing or any type of carbonation visible, no matter how vigorously you pour. The smell is complex and beautiful: roasted walnuts, chestnuts, tons of cocoa, macerated cherries, maple syrup, sherry, bourbon barrel, vanilla and oak, figs. The taste - amazing. A boatload of cherries up front, figs, walnuts, sherry and vanilla oak, bourbon, and underneath it all a nice, hot spiciness. Smooth and creamy texture, but not the kind that chokes, with a warm and cherry-intense aftertaste.

Pours a nice opaque deep reddish brown, mahogany. A lot of floaties and bits despite a delicate pour. Looks oily on the surface. No head at all, as it’s completely uncarbonated.

Smell is fantastic. Rich cherry, slightly tart. Strong sweet bourbon and vanilla notes. And solid, rich, sweet malts to support all that other stuff. Super rich, super sweet, and packed with variety. Some leather and tobacco. A light herbal bite.

Taste is strong, rich cherry. But it loses a lot of the complexity and delicacy of the smell. It has a bite, from the alcohol clearly, but more than I’d expect. It’s like pulling two elements from the smell, blasting me with them, and the subtlety is lost.

Feel is a downer. I know the bottle says it’s flat, but that only gives warning, and doesn’t make improve the experience. It’s heavy and chewy. To be honest, it could be totally awful, and it’s not.